Growing Familiarity
by PaleAutumn
Summary: A rejected familiar wanders aimlessly throughout the forest until the rain begins to settle in for the season, forcing it to find shelter in the garden of a witch. However, it appears that the rain isn't always a curse as the familiar and the witch meet. ShiroIchi


The sound of rustling leaves broke the peaceful silence of the secluded forest. Ogihci was crouched down to the ground with a knife, cutting away at plants to harvest them. The day before, he had put a tarp over his garden to prepare for the heavy showers of the season. Despite the tarp obscuring the view, he could tell that the sky overhead was dark. Already, storm clouds were moving in, bringing the chill and the wind. He wanted to get all the herbs he could before the rain potentially killed them. He managed to fill up the basket halfway before the first crack of thunder pierced the sky, letting out a loud rumble. Ogihci sighed, placing his knife into the basket and got up, ready to head back inside. Right when he started walking, the sound of rain droplets hitting the tarp began to dominate. Small and light sounds turned into the characteristic harshness of a storm. The smell of the wet earth permeated the atmosphere. Before he made his way inside into safety, his eyes caught movement and a flash of bright color.

At first, he thought it was a trick of his mind. Still, he craned his head at different angles, trying to make out what it was. Narrowing his eyes, he walked slowly closer to where he thought he saw it, making sure to look in almost every corner. Once he made it to a small shelf he had set up with all his gardening tools, he heard a soft meow. Ogihci blinked. He turned his head toward the shelf and bent down to peer underneath it.

There was an orange tabby cat squished underneath the shelf. Its fur was damp and if Ogihci looked deeply enough at it, he could catch its slight tremor. Was it just a stray? Sighing, he backed away from it but remained low to keep an eye on it. To not seem threatening, he simply held out his hand, placing it on the ground.

"Are you trying to shield yourself from the rain?" His voice was softer than usual. He wasn't sure why he was acting this way toward the stray, however, he felt bad just leaving it out here, especially once the storm picked up even more. "It's okay, I'm not going to toss you out. It's much warmer in my house and the shelf won't do much for you." He didn't think the cat could understand him, so he made a gesture with his hand to call it closer. The cat gave off another meow before tentatively shuffling itself out from underneath. Once it made its way completely outside, it bent down to give a sniff at the hand presented to it. After a few seconds of that, it meowed again, rubbing its head on the hand. Ogihci grinned at that, giving it a gentle pet. He got up slowly and went to the front door of his house and pushed it open. As he entered, he kept it ajar, watching as the cat followed suit. His house wasn't particularly big. There was a large center room, a single bathroom and bedroom. It was enough considering Ogihci had lived alone in the middle of a forest.

The room contained several shelves full of varieties of herbs, full and empty bottles, bowls, and tools. Hanging from the ceiling were more plants, making the room only slightly more inviting. There was a makeshift kitchen in one corner, complete with a small stove and oven. All of the food was kept in a small refrigerator. Heading into the bathroom, Ogihci grabbed a towel to dry off the cat.

He crouched down again and closed his eyes to concentrate on his magic. Mumbling a quick chant, he began to heat up the towel by warming up his hands and rubbing them all over it. The cat seemed to be intrigued by it, never once turning its eyes away from the witch. Ogihci opened up his eyes again and placed the towel on top of the cat, who immediately began to purr in content at the softness and warmness. It twisted and bent its body in accordance with the towel to get more contact with it. Ogihci ran the towel over and over again until the cat was completely dried off. All of its fur was fluffed up now and it shook once to get rid of any stray hairs. It moved around the room, investigating all that it could for potential resting spots. It noticed the soft chair at the table and immediately jumped on it. It walked around in a circle for a second or two and then lay down, curling up in a comfortable position. Ogihci didn't mind as it did so, putting the towel on the table for now.

The rain battered against the house, not showing any signs of relenting any time soon. It wasn't much of a surprise to the witch, used to the weather patterns.

"The storms here last a long time. A few hours at the least. I don't really have pet food around here since I don't keep one myself, so you'll have to forgive me. Maybe I can cook you some meat or something." Ogihci muttered to himself mostly, knowing the cat couldn't understand him. Or maybe it did, he wasn't entirely sure since it had been following his instructions for awhile now. The cat lifted its head to look at the witch and gave a meow. He jumped onto the table and took the towel in its mouth to drag it back in his seat. Ogihci watched with interest as the cat made it way underneath the towel, hiding away from sight. Suddenly, the cat-shaped lump wasn't so cat-like. It shifted and grew until it was human, who maneuvered the towel so it covered up his body. Similar to his cat form, he had bright orange hair and brown eyes, turned away from him in embarrassment. The cat ears present on top of his head were pressed down.

"You, uh … you don't have to worry about what I can eat. I can eat whatever or nothing at all, it's fine."

Ogihci didn't respond at first, staring at the human as he processed what happened. It wasn't exactly surprising to him because he's seen this happen many times before.

"I didn't expect a familiar to be around here cowering in my garden," he said, raising his eyebrow in question. "Familiars are only summoned into this world with another witch. Does that mean they're around here looking for you?"

"I doubt it," he mumbled, pulling the towel tighter around his body. "My ... the witch kicked me out. Said I was useless, so I just ran. I'm Ichigo Kurosaki by the way. I'll leave the minute the rain lets up, I promise. I know caring for multiple familiars is difficult."

After staring at Ichigo in silence, Ogihci only sighed. "I'm Ogihci Shirosaki." He's never heard of a familiar being forced out by their own witch before, especially under the pretense of being useless. "Hey, don't worry about that. I have enough food for the both of us. Besides," he gestured at the empty room, "it's only me in here. I don't have a familiar. But you being one does make feeding you easier. I don't have to head into the village to buy cat food and I don't want any witch accusing me of stealing their familiar."

Ichigo snorted, a smile blooming on his face. His ears twitched with his tiny burst of laughter at the witch's worry. "Cats can eat most meat and I'd really like to imagine you dealing with that problem. Being chased by another witch for their familiar, that is."

"Happens more often than you think. It's like when your precious pet runs away and you scavenge the lands to find it."

"Do witches actually do that with their familiars though?"

"Don't they?" Ogihci shrugged, finally taking a seat in the chair opposite to Ichigo's, "Aren't familiars supposed to be companions or something?"

"I … I don't know." Ichigo seemed to scoot further into the chair, not wanting to talk about it anymore. His witch certainly didn't treat him like a companion and he didn't want to remember it either. After he stopped talking, they both entered into silence. Frequent claps of thunder, sudden flashes of white, and sound of rain were their only company for awhile. The cold started to settle in more, causing Ichigo to bury himself into the warm towel again.

"Do you want some clothes? I think I have some spares you can wear if you're feeling cold," Ogihci asked. Ichigo only shook his head, saying he'll just switch back to his cat form. Right when he said it, he became the tabby that Ogihci originally found, staying underneath the warmth of the towel as long as it lasted. With a chuckle, the witch got up, warning Ichigo that he was going to pick him up briefly. Feeling hands wrap around his body and remove the towel, he let out a loud meow in confusion at what the other was doing. He missed the towel already. Sitting back down, Ogihci put the cat in his lap and wrapped the main source of warmth around him, making a very warm bundle of towel and cat. He stroked Ichigo's forehead with two of his fingers, causing Ichigo to shut his eyes at the feeling.

Leaning back, Ogihci continued to gently pet the familiar. It was nice having company, even if it was sometimes in the form of a cat. He never thought having a familiar was going to be this enjoyable for him. "You can stay."

Ichigo cracked open his eyes, tilting his head curiously at him.

"As long as you want, I mean. You don't have to go once the rain leaves. I don't mind having you here. With me." He never really realized how lonely it was in the house until Ichigo decided to come in. Without responding, they kept staring at each other. Ichigo lowered his head again, slipping back into a comfortable sleep. It wasn't long after that Ogihci also fell asleep in the chair. Not even the tempest outside awakened them.

When the next morning arrived, Ichigo managed to wiggle himself out of Ogihci's lap and towel. The moment his paws touched the ground, he craned his head up to check if Ogihci was still sleeping. Pleased that he was, he shifted back into his human form, grabbed the towel and wrapped it around his bottom half, and moved over the kitchen area, making sure to not make too much noise. He cracked open the refrigerator and searched through the contents, making mental notes to himself about what he could do with all of it. There wasn't a lot, however, it was just Ogihci, so it made sense. He smiled when he found some eggs and cheese; just what he was looking for.

Ogihci shifted at the sound of sizzling and popping, letting out a groan. Sleep continued to pull at his mind. The subtle cooking noise didn't seem to stop, so he cracked open an eye, wondering what was going on. Over at the stove was Ichigo with a spatula, occasionally scraping at the sides of a cooking egg to check if it had solidified. To make sure he wasn't seeing things, he squinted at the sight. Seeing that it didn't disappear, he sat up and rubbed his eyes, asking what Ichigo was doing.

"I'm glad you took me in when you could have left me, so I'm cooking you a meal," he responded as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. Ogihci opened and closed his mouth, unable to figure out what response to give at that.

"You, uh … you didn't have to, you know, do that."

"How else am I going to thank you?"

He realized that the argument was going nowhere and gave up. It then dawned on him that Ichigo was cooking without anything on other than a measly towel. The idea made him quickly get up and rush over to the closet where he rummaged through several of his articles of clothing, some in pristine condition and others almost destroyed. Picking out some of the best looking ones, Ogihci presented the pile to Ichigo, silently commanding that he put them on.

"It's dangerous to cook without something covering you. Something could burn your skin."

Ichigo, clearly about to throw a rebuttal, looked at him before seeming to resign to his fate. To not overcook the eggs, he slipped into the clothing in a rush, not caring for how he looked afterward. The egg was beginning to firm up, so he added the cheese and pepper he found lying around the place and began to prod one side to start rolling it up into an omelet. He shut off the stove and plated the omelet, practically cooked to perfection and rolled into a beautiful, rounded rectangle. Ichigo, not thinking about cooking one for himself, handed it over to Ogihci, who took it and sat down at the table with it. It looked appetizing, especially with the cheese slightly leaking over from the sides.

"Been awhile since I had cooked myself something this nice …"

"Well, I'm glad it was from me. I make a mean omelet." Ichigo smirked. Some time had passed since he had last practiced, but it was clear his skill wasn't entirely gone yet. At the least, he knew it was a good enough for the witch's standards. Magic makes things easier, although it also ends up not strengthening any other skill.

Without needing any other word, Ogihci started to dig into the omelet, simple yet containing a perfect balance and combination of flavors. The cheese and the pepper added just enough to the egg that it made the entire thing a step above normal. He savored the taste, practically melting into it. Ichigo seemed to notice and his ears were pointed slightly forward, giving away how happy he felt about it.

"So you like it?"

"I love it. Thank you, Ichigo," Ogihci said, finally noticing he didn't have anything for him prepared, "Aren't you going to make something for yourself?"

Ichigo blinked, letting out a confused question.

"You have to have food too, you idiot."

"No, it's okay, it's my job to care for you and help around so don't wo –"

"Ichigo." Ogihci put his fork down, staring at the familiar with unwavering determination, "I'm not going to continue eating until you have a meal yourself."

"Wha –"

"Go."

Unfamiliar with the situation, he frantically pulled open the fridge and grabbed another egg. All the while, he could feel the other's stare, making him embarrassed. Refusing to make anything too difficult, he'd definitely mess up if he tried another omelet, he simply made some scrambled eggs. Ogihci grabbed him another plate to dump the eggs into. He was pleased that the other gave in. Like his own meal, he took some pepper and sprinkled them over Ichigo's own eggs before handing them back.

"Now we eat. Together."

"I … I'm not used to this, Shirosaki …"

"Didn't you have meals together with your witch back at your home?"

"Of course not," Ichigo bit his lip, "I fended for myself. My summoner thought it was better that I gather my own ingredients for meals, you know? Helps my sense of smell and hunting skill."

"Bullshit. Help yourself. S' not your job to survive for yourself when you have a good supply here. That's just bad survival instincts. Also you can call me by my first name or Shiro. Don't worry about it."

Ichigo didn't say anymore. Kindness wasn't particularly natural for him to receive, so he couldn't even begin to fathom how it should be returned. Ogihci's way of doing things … Perhaps it was because he didn't have his own familiar yet? He didn't know. Still, he ate along with him, playing along in whatever conversation he wanted.

It felt nice. It felt nice being treated like a human being rather than an animal. A tool.

* * *

"Here, smell this. It's what we're looking for." Ogihci placed a bundle of herbs in front of the cat, watching as Ichigo sniffed at it, attempting to memorize the smell for their hunt. The bad weather had killed off his harvest and he was running low on an important plant for rituals. It was a good thing he lived in a forest with several types, though the sheer size of the land it covered made it difficult to find specific ones. Thankfully, he had Ichigo, eager to help him. The rain was going to come soon and it'd speed up the process, hopefully fast enough to avoid it.

After a good minute of making sure he would not forget the scent, Ichigo looked at his witch, letting out a meow to confirm he was ready. Ogihci nodded, grabbing the basket and heading out into the forest with his cat trailing behind him.

Like they usually did these past few weeks, he let Ichigo take the lead. His sense of smell was much better than this and he trusted him to lead him where they needed to go. It hadn't failed them yet and he suspected it wouldn't any time soon. The scent of rain was in the air, warning them of the time they had out there.

Ichigo walked through the trail, sniffing at the air occasionally to make sure he was tracking the right scent and to confirm the steps he was taking. His paws were covered in dirt, but he didn't mind. He didn't mind anything when he was helping Ogihci out. Nothing at all.

His nose caught the scent of the herb, making Ichigo's entire body perk up. His ears twitched in anticipation as he raised his head up to the air again to take a deep breath. It was definitely what they were looking for. He gave a loud meow and looked back at his witch, ears pointed forward.

"You found the scent? That's good … c'mon, before it starts raining."

He padded forward, his head lowered closer to the ground to find the specific trail. The usual scent given off by the soil after rain was a lot stronger at this proximity, yet the scent of the herb was also stronger. They clashed while Ichigo hunted for the goal. Yes, it was definitely close now …

His nose made contact with a plant, making him jump back in surprise. He swiped at the plant with his paw, recognizing it as the thing they were looking for, giving off an excited meow. He turned around, facing Ogihci. A hand came forward and gave him a pet on his head.

"Good job. What would I do without you, huh, Ichi?" Ogihci chuckled, making sure to give Ichigo a scratch near where his tail was. In response, Ichigo curved upward, letting out a loud purr. The feeling left, making Ichigo whine softly. Without a care in the world, he moved forward and began brushing against Ogihci's leg, the only form of contact he had while he uprooted the plants and stuffed them in the basket. "There we go. That should be good enough for now, I think the rain is starting to come down."

The moment he said that, a tiny droplet hit Ichigo's forehead, causing him to shake out his fur. More and more began to fall. To avoid getting completely soaked, Ogihci chanted a spell and brought his hands up and spread them out over his head, creating a makeshift shield. Shaking the basket onto his arm to free both of his hands, he picked up Ichigo and made a cradle with his arms to carry him home. In content at the cover, Ichigo turned his head toward his witch's chest and gave his arm a lick.

"Meow if you feel any droplets hitting you, okay?" Ogihci made his shield bigger, starting the jog back home. As he drew nearer, the rain pelted them. They hated the rainy season. It made everything so much harder for the both of them. Still, Ogihci was laughing when they made it back in the safety of their house.

He put Ichigo down on the ground. Out of instinct, he began licking the out of place fur that came with being carried.

"I'd say that was the best adventure we had yet," Ogihci admitted, putting the basket on the table to clean up and sort through later. It wasn't much, but it was enough for a few more rituals. In gratitude, he bent down and helped Ichigo out with his fur, all dry. That was good. He knew Ichigo hated being wet, which in turn made him cold. It's why he set up a heating blanket on the ground for him to sleep on. Or just rest in general.

"I don't usually take you out this late, that was my fault. You must be tired. I'm starting to reach that point too … We can head to our room now, if you want."

In affirmation at the idea, Ichigo let out a meow, pausing in his attempt to groom himself.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure all you want to do is curl up and rest." Ogihci headed to their room, beginning to lay down on the bed before Ichigo began his incessant meowing. Letting out a questioning hum, he rolled over slightly to peer at Ichigo at the floor. Unlike him, he was sitting perfectly tall and stared at him with his unblinking eyes. It was unusual. He wasn't even making an attempt to go for his special blanket.

"Do you want up?"

He kept on meowing.

Sighing, he grinned down at his cat. "What, you don't love the blanket I bought you anymore? I'm hurt."

Ichigo swished his tail back and forth in frustration and impatience.

"Alright, alright, quit your whining, I'm getting you." He reached down, picking Ichigo up and placing him on the bed. "Now what is your problem?" He was about to get up, but immediately stopped when he placed one paw on him and began climbing up on top of him.

Then, he felt the full weight of him on his chest. Without even waiting for a response, Ichigo started to curl up right there. Ogihci let out a breathy laugh, lying back down. He rested one of his arms on his companion, mumbling good night.

Ichigo purred.

* * *

It was cold. Ichigo blinked open his eyes, getting up and stretching his limbs. His witch wasn't here with him, which explains the chill. He heard little shuffles in the main room as if someone was sliding across the floor little by little. Curious as to what was going on, he walked out. There, in the middle of the room, was Ogihci, drawing out a large ritual circle with a piece of chalk, moving around the entire room to make sure the circle and runes were perfect. To Ichigo, he looked more concentrated than he had ever seen him since he had been found here. The furniture was all pushed back to the ends of the walls, some even covering the front door. He watched in silence. It took a few minutes, but Ogihci finally sat up after having checked over every rune with an intense stare. He rubbed sweat off his forehead, finally catching sight of Ichigo.

"Oh, did I wake you?"

Ichigo walked over to him, careful not to step over the chalk. He's learned not to touch anything in a witch's ritual in case it was a fragile and important one. He buried his head into his hand in greeting. Ogihci gave him scratches in return.

"You're a deep sleeper, so I guess that's impossible, yeah?" he joked, causing Ichigo to hiss. "It's better if we step out of this circle," he said, picking Ichigo up and dropping him out of the vicinity of it. He apologized to him, giving him a smile.

"It's supposed to be an easy ritual, but … I couldn't ever do it for some reason. I think a part of me wasn't quite attuned to my spirit enough to do it, however, I think your presence helped, Ichi." Ogihci gave him another pet. "It's a familiar summoning circle."

At that, Ichigo stopped rubbing into his hand. A familiar summoning circle? He stared up at his witch, trying to understand the feeling blooming in his chest. Ogihci didn't seem to catch it and went down on his knees in one side of the circle, gathering up his magic. It swirled and gathered itself around him, making him glow with a bright red. Ichigo meowed, his ears pressed to his head. In what? Was it fear, was it embarrassment, was it something else entirely? He watched silently as he pressed his hands to the circle, making it begin to glow with that same red, the color of Ogihci's magic. It flowed through the drawing like water as if the chalk created channels in the ground. It lit up the room as it all began to shift into the center of the circle. It started to shape itself and Ichigo could feel it.

He was pacing back and forth. Ichigo meowed again and again, falling to deaf ears. Ogihci was staring on in amazement, letting out an exasperated sigh.

"It's working …"

Those words stabbed at Ichigo's heart. Suddenly, he trudged forward to one of the runes scrawled on the ground and swiped his paw over it, smudging it over until it was unreadable. All at once, the magic disappeared. The circle returned to its normal, neutral state. Just chalk on the ground. Ogihci jumped up, looking at it as if it was crazy.

"What happened? It was working, I know it was, what …?" The words wouldn't come to him. He became angry and let out a frustrated growl, running a hand through his hair. "What the fuck happened? I'm at my best, I've … I'm not a weak witch, my magic is fine it –" He suddenly turned around and inspected the runes he drew.

In fear, Ichigo ran over to the shelf and began climbing it, making a mess on the floor with everything that fell as he did it. The sound of glass breaking brought Ogihci's attention upward, away from the runes.

"Ichi? What are you doing, get down from there!" He moved over to move his cat away from it, but without thinking, Ichigo unsheathed his claws and scratched Ogihci's arm. It was a shallow scratch, enough to make it bleed slightly. He let out a pained gasp and instinctively retracted his arms, giving Ichigo time to scramble out the gap in the window. He ran into the forest, leaving the witch's home behind.

"Ichigo!" Ogihci called out, using his magic to move the furniture away from the front door to chase after him. By the time he made it out though, he was nowhere to be seen. "Ichigo, come back here! Why are you running?!"

There wasn't a response. Not even the wind was speaking now. He looked up at the sky. It was a bright blue without a cloud in the sky. How long was that going to last?

It was rainy season after all.

* * *

All day, Ogihci wandered around the forest, searching endlessly for Ichigo. He searched and searched until the sun was no longer up. All this time and he still couldn't fathom why he would run off like he did, panicked and rushed. If he had been his summoned familiar, then he could have just reached out for his presence, but that wasn't the case. Cursing under his breath, he resigned back to his house. It was getting dark. Casting light magic was simple, that's how he powered the bulbs in his house after all, so that was an option, but if Ichigo didn't want to be found then he could hide in the shadows it produced.

Walking into his home felt different without his companion, but he didn't let it get to him too much. With a wave of his hand, the light bulbs hanging from the ceiling lit up. The first thing that caught his attention was the ritual circle drawn expertly on the ground. Without the surge of magic flowing through it, it was simply a white circle. Nothing more to it. Sighing, Ogihci motioned at a set of wet rags to begin cleaning it all up. He would have to work on another circle considering the failure of this morning. As he kneeled to begin wiping it off, the other rags floating around in the air and settling in their own places, he made sure to keep an eye out on what could have possibly went wrong. Right when he reached the smudged rune, he paused. Putting the rag down, he gently touched it, noting how small the imperfection was. It was understandable how he could have missed such a tiny detail, yet he remembered spending lots of time making sure it was perfect. Yeah, he couldn't have missed it.

Besides that, the ritual was working in the beginning. In fact, it was working perfectly in beginning, exactly the way it has been described in several books, indicating that something went wrong during it rather than before it. Could he have accidentally moved his leg and messed it up? No, it was too small to be that. There wasn't a lot that could be done to create something that miniscule … Unless it was done deliberately and by something smaller than human. Closing his eyes, Ogihci suddenly sat down, leaning back on his palms, thinking back to Ichigo's reaction.

"Jesus, Ichi …" He mumbled, opened them at the crash of thunder and sudden flash. Another storm was coming. "You're going to get soaked out there."

In the forest, Ichigo was curled up underneath a bush, hoping that it'd shelter him enough to keep him relatively dry than standing out. At every loud noise, he jumped and flinched. It'd been awhile since he felt unsafe and cold like this and he wasn't quite used to it yet. Maybe after a few days, it'd be better. Twigs dug into his body in every direction and leaves made everything itch, creating a terrible environment to stay still in. Softly, he meowed, burrowing his head deeper in the bush despite it all. The whole world became drenched in seconds at the rain. The bush did nothing to help Ichigo. Even if it did, the rain droplets fell on him from the leaves themselves. It was cold. In a futile attempt to combat that, he curled more deeply into himself to bathe in his own body heat.

The routine was the same for the next few days. Look around for food, sunbathe if he had time, find a bush or tree to cower under for the upcoming daily storm, and sleep there. For Shiro, he had gone out looking for him every day and went as far as to cook small pieces of chicken each day to put out for Ichigo to come and find. From time to time, they ended up close to each other. Every time Ichigo heard his name being called by his previous witch, he had to resist the twitch in his limbs and the urge to bound up to him, to begin apologizing and begging to be taken back to what he used to call home. His orange fur stood out too much so he had to back away slowly and carefully just in case Ogihci saw him because of it.

And every time, he watched as the witch gave up. It was the same. To Ichigo, it was how it was going to stay from now on, no matter how much it hurt.

Ogihci went home empty handed once again, checking on the chicken he left out for the day. Since it was laid out in the open, he had to put plastic wrap over it to prevent flies from getting to it. Of course, with the wrap, it meant only animals with claws or teeth could force it open to get to it. On the other hand, it meant that the smell wouldn't attract Ichigo like he wanted it to. Perhaps tomorrow he could try it out. Unwrapping the diced chicken, he began to eat it himself, wanting to prepare a fresh one tomorrow to make it better for Ichigo if he did show up.

The next day arrived. The moment Ichigo woke up, he began scavenging for food. Berries, prey, leaves even … Recently, the over abundance of water killed off many plants, so berries were out of the question. Prey was harder and harder to find and kill. His stomach was empty for a few days now and the sounds it made didn't make it any better. Later in the day, he was practically unable to walk any longer. He was collapsed on the ground, ready to give into the idea that he was going to end up dying.

Thoughts like that were whisked away the moment the strong scent of cooked meat overwhelmed his senses. By that smell alone, energy was pumped into his limbs as he rushed over to the smell, forgetting that there was only one place where cooked meat would be available. Pummeling through several plants, Ichigo watched silently as Ogihci's house came into sight along with the plate of chicken he had left out. As far as he could tell, the witch was nowhere to be seen. Hesitance overcame him. Hunger was stronger though. Whipping his head back and forth, he warily watched out for Ogihci and slowly walked out into the open. At every opportunity, he jumped behind from foliage to keep himself out of sight in case the witch was watching somewhere. The smell of the chicken was beginning to get to him. Saliva was gathering in his mouth and he began to rush to the plate. Without a second thought, Ichigo began to dig into the meal, happy that he could finally fill his stomach with delicious meat. Inside the house, Ogihci heard the subtle sounds of chewing coming outside. His attention immediately shifted over to what it was. Could it be?

Carefully as to not make any noise, he pushed open his door and peered around the corner where he put the chicken. The moment he laid eyes on the familiar tabby devouring the dish, he moved forward, calling out his name. In hindsight, it was a bad idea, considering Ichigo tried running away the instance he did. Prepared for such a reaction, Ogihci casted a spell to bind him, ignoring the hisses and screeches that came from him. After getting closer, he picked him up, continuing to bear the claws scraping all over his skin. He clenched his teeth until he dropped Ichigo in his house and shut his door, so he couldn't leave. Not in his cat form at least. Instead of fighting, he sat with his claws digging into the floor, his spine curved upward in hostility.

"Do you know how long I've been looking for you?! It's been over a week!"

Since he was in cat form, Ichigo didn't grace him with any sort of response. However, he backed away at his raised voice. He never yelled at him before.

"Don't you dare ignore me now! Your fur is a goddamn mess and I've been worried sick for you out there!" Ogihci was seething. "Turn to your human form. We're having a talk, right now. I'm not letting you out 'til that happens."

Refusing to follow the command, Ichigo began to groom himself. It made Ogihci even huff out in exasperation. "Are you that determined to not stay here with me?"

Ichigo paused for a second at the question before resuming.

Curling his lip, the witch took a deep breath. "Then tell me why you ran. Why you messed up the ritual?"

Ichigo stopped again and looked up at him, his fur starting to lower in guilt. He meowed, not wanting to answer. Not wanting to admit what he did.

"Ichi, at least give me that. I didn't spend all this time looking for you for nothing. Then you can go. I won't look for you again," he said, grabbing his pile of clothes and throwing it at him. With a defeated meow, Ichigo started shifting back to his human form, standing at his full height. After so many days of cold, he didn't complain while he put them on.

"I'm sorry …" Ichigo whispered, trying his hardest to not make eye contact with Ogihci. "I don't know what came over me, okay? I just … I didn't want that ritual to be a success." His voice broke while he talked, tears starting to form. "I was scared, Shi, I … I didn't want to be left alone again. Not for another familiar. Not by you."

There were a few seconds of silence before Ogihci softly exclaimed, "You've got to be kidding me." He moved over and cupped Ichigo's face with his hand, gently pushing to have their eyes meet. "I wouldn't do that just because I finally manage to summon one myself. Didn't I promise you that you're free to stay here as long as you want?"

"I know, I just – If you were angry, you would have kicked me out and I know you were searching for me, I saw you sometimes. But, but what if you couldn't forgive me? What if –"

Ogihci stopped him in his sentence with a kiss.

"You're such an idiot … If you knew I was searching for you, wouldn't it mean I'd already forgiven you?"

Ichigo's cat ears perked up questioningly and in shock. "I … I'm so sorry, Shi." Without another thought, he hugged his witch tightly. God, how could he have been so stupid?

"I was so worried you died out there, Ichigo," Ogihci started, hugging him back, "With all of those storms and dangerous creatures out there, what if you had been seriously hurt? Hell, you're already such a mess and you were eating like you were starving."

"I'm sorry." Ichigo mumbled into his witch's shoulder, enjoying his closeness once more. It wasn't an overstatement to say that he was the best thing that'd happened to him. "It … It won't happen again. I promise, Shi."

Ogihci pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Good. Let's get you cleaned up, okay? You can take a shower, I'll be out here if you need me."

"I know." Ichigo reluctantly separated from him, allowing himself to head into the bathroom to wash up. The feeling of warm water on his skin … He couldn't imagine a better heaven right now. After all, he was home.

While standing in the shower and washing off all the mud that had gathered over the days he returned to being a stray, he called out Ogihci's name.

"What is it? Did something happen?"

"No, nothing happened, don't worry! I just … I wanted to say something."

"Hm?"

"...Thank you for everything. I love you."

He could barely make out the sound of his laughter through the sound of the shower head. "I love you too."

* * *

Ogihci was kneeling on the ground, his palms pressed against the floor. The circle lit up with his magic, once again gathering at the center of it, beginning to form its shape. Ichigo was sitting by the table, watching with interest, his ears twitching in anticipation. When there was no magic left to gather, it all disappeared, leaving a pure white snake in the middle of it. At the sight, Ogihci jumped up in joy and rushed over to it, calling Ichigo over. He stood up and walked over to where his lover was, taking a look at the creature. It was beautiful. A pure white snake with black spots all over its body. She darted her tongue out, trying to get a sense of who had summoned her.

"Yo. What's your name?" Ogihci asked, proud that he had finally done it.

The snake wrapped itself around her witch's arm, climbing onto his shoulders. Telepathically, she introduced herself as Getsu.

"Mm, Getsu, huh? That's a pretty name. Oh, this is Ichigo by the way." He motioned over to him, giving him an encouraging smile.

"Hey … It's nice to meet you?"

Getsu shifted to stare at him, darting her tongue out again. She recognized him as another familiar and decided he wasn't any threat. Ogihci grinned, running his hand over her scales.

"You two should probably get along. After all," He took his lover's hand into his own, giving it a comforting squeeze.

"We're family."


End file.
